One-year Outcomes for Da Vinci Single Port Robot for Transoral Robotic Surgery

Background: The da Vinci single-port (SP) robot is a new instrument for transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in oropharyngeal cancers (OPSCCs). We describe one-year SP surgical outcomes and compare them to da Vinci Si outcomes.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study at a high-volume TORS center. Consecutive patients undergoing TORS SP procedures from 10/2018 to 09/2019 were included. SP OPSCC outcomes were compared to a historical cohort of Si OPSCC patients. t tests were used to compare continuous variables; χ or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare nonparametric categorical variables.

Results: Seventy-eight patients underwent SP TORS. The bleed rate was 5.1%, mortality rate was 2.6%, and conversion rate was 0%. Compared to the Si cohort, OPSCC patients undergoing TORS SP procedures saw no significant differences in operative time or post-TORS bleeds (P > .05).

Conclusions: The SP is a comparably safe surgical instrument. Overall learning curve for the SP was rapid among experienced TORS surgeons.